Tag: A Strange And Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning, And Memory In The American Civil War

It worked the way it was supposed to work. Really. When my dad died, after those first shakey few days, saying Kaddish got easy. My dad’s life was full and meaningful and he had accomplished much. He had struggled with cancer for a year and had become so frail that it was clearly...

Many people I meet in Japan ask, why we Jews revere the memory of Chiune Sugihara. The obvious reason is that this man, along with his wife, through their bravery and steadfastness, saved thousands of Jews from certain death at the hands of the Nazis during the WWII Nazi Genocide,...

Religion is full of “shoulds” and “musts.” But feelings follow laws of their own, exacting their own in-house penalties when they are broken. Judaism has many laws for grievers, including the length of the formal mourning period known as shiva. The usual proscribed length is seven...

As I’ve read the recent entries on this blog, I’ve been struck that something like this would never have existed a generation ago. And I don’t mean the social media aspect but the subject matter: the topic of death was not out in the open until recently.

Kaddish - The origins of this most famous Jewish prayer are shrouded in history. Most agree that it began with the central words, “Y’hei Sh’mei Rabbah Mevorach L’Olam u’l’Almei Almaya,” or “May God’s Name be praised now and forever.” One source suggests that the Kaddish was...

I grew up in a home filled with food and love and laughter and music and Yiddishkayt and stories. I was the youngest of four kids and we were part of a tribe in Boro Park, Brooklyn, with my uncle Nat’s family living on the floor above us, my uncle Ruby’s family living next door to...

A year or two ago, the cantor of our synagogue gave a class on how to lead a shiva minyan, which is a prayer service for a person who has died. Usually, it is held in the home of a loved one. The word shiva means “seven,” and traditionally a family will observe shiva for even...

I remember the Purim that fell during the year that I was mourning the loss of my father. Early on, I mentioned to my wife that I just wasn’t going to be in the mood to go to the Purim Seuda being held at shul, and she lovingly and generously offered to make a low-key Seudah at...

Each culture has rituals and customs surrounding death, and Judaism is no exception. Jewish tradition and the Jewish community provide mourners with structure and direction during the grieving process.

When a family member dies, those left behind often find themselves in a state of...

It is the 3rd of April around 10 P.M. and the city of Tel Aviv is more alive than ever. People are walking the streets, laughing and talking. Then suddenly a siren sounds, and the city freezes. It is Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of...

There are moments when half a world away seems right around the corner. At Young Israel of Century City (YICC) on Sunday afternoon, Israel's pain at the
murder of eight young yeshiva students burned through the Los Angeles Jewish community, just as it has in Jerusalem, where the...

Aaron Begin, 17, stands in front of a bulletin board in the corridor of Yeshiva of Los Angeles (YULA) boys high school. He stares at pictures of boys his own age grieving over friends gunned down at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva while they studied in the library. He studies the photos of...

A test of emunah (trust, faith), according to prominent voices in our tradition (Mishna Berachot 9:2), is the ability to bless the bad, as well as the good. Upon hearing of the death of a loved one, can one say, baruch dayan emet (blessed be the truthful judge.)
And might one add,...

Holidays bring up feelings and memories about people who have died. They also offer opportunities to address unresolved issues. The four Yizkor services and the themes of their days correspond to different tasks of mourning.

The voice on the other end of the cell phone stopped me cold: "I'm engaged."

I couldn't breathe. My worst nightmare was happening. My
ex-girlfriend -- the one I still hadn't gotten over, the one I still imagined having kids with -- was getting married. How could I not have seen it...

If you're not Mel Gibson, who correctly guessed that the Malibu sheriff's deputy arresting him at 2 a.m. was, in fact, Jewish -- what are the odds? -- you might want a
foolproof tip to discern who's a Jew.

Here's a hint: the first-person plural. Start up a discussion of the war in...

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